(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for muzzle loading, particularly an apparatus for efficient and uniform loading of a projectile into a muzzle.
(2) Description of the Related Art
An important aspect when using a traditional muzzle loading or black powder firearm is to facilitate quick, reliable and consistent reloading of the firearm. As is conventionally known in the art, a desired volume of gun propellent is supplied to either the muzzle end or the breech end of the barrel of a gun, depending on the design of the firearm. During loading of a muzzle loading firearm, the charge, the sabot or patch (wad), if necessary, and the projectile (i.e., ball or bullet), are all loaded through the discharging end of the barrel. Sometimes the sabot or patch (wad) will be omitted. The contents are typically packed toward the breech end of the firearm using a ramrod to ensure a consistent loading and seating pressure of the propellant and the projectile and the seating reduces the chances of an inadvertent blow up of the barrel of the firearm because of an air gap formed between the propellant and the projectile.
As is well known in the art, the propellent is typically loose granular gunpowder, e.g., a mixture of charcoal, potassium nitrate and sulfur. Early powders were dangerous to handle and tended to foul the bore of the firearm. For a number of years, black powder was the only propellent used in muzzle loading firearms, and eventually black powder substitutes, such as those sold under the trade names PYRODEX, BLACK CANYON, CLEAN SHOT and AMERICAN PIONEER, are now commonly utilized. For many years, black powder and black powder substitutes have been pelletized to facilitate ease of loading of firearms.
Manually packing firearm contents (i.e., the projectile and powder) near the breech end of the firearm with a ramrod can lead to inconsistent loading. This creates a significant disadvantage when precision firing is required. The ramrod is generally maneuvered manually, without the help of a precision tool or consistent force application. This leads to significant differences between reloads and most certainly among different users having different strength tolerances. Accordingly, there remains a need for a tool or apparatus for facilitating uniform loading.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,887 issued to Johnston, describes an adaptor which allows a standard casing firing action to be used with a muzzle loading firearm. The adaptor includes a breech plug and a nipple and is configured to be inserted into the barrel of the firearm adjacent the receiver. The breech end of the nipple has a conical shape. In use, a standard ignition casing having a head, with a primer mounted in the flash hole in the head, is loaded into the receiver of the firearm. Next, the ignition casing is moved into the breech end of the barrel such that the casing extends into the center bore of the breech plug and the breech end of the nipple extends into the end of the flash hole in the head of the casing and is adjacent the primer. When the firearm is fired, the firing pin contacts the primer which ignites the primer. The spark from the primer travels directly through the center bore of the nipple through the center openings of the propellant pellets which ignites the propellant pellets which expels the projectile from the firearm. U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,887 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,598 issued to Johnston, describes a muzzle loading firearm having an insert (breech plug) and adaptor for use with a casing having a primer. The insert is threadably mounted in the center bore of the barrel adjacent the receiver. The nipple is threadably mounted in the center bore of the insert. However in my previous invention, the end of the nipple over which the casing is mounted is flat. Thus, the end of the nipple does not extend into the flash hole in the casing. Further, the flash hole of the casing opposite the primer is not sized to accommodate the end of the nipple. Thus, the casing is not held in sealing contact with the nipple when the firearm is fired. U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,598 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
There remains the need for an apparatus which enables consistent and uniform loading of a muzzle loading firearm when packing contents with a ramrod.